In the Company of Rangers
by Jonathan Anubian
Summary: Guindolyn Took is a normal 20 year old Hobbit living in the Shire. That is, until you take in her love of heights, her tiny feet, and the fact that she stands at 4'6". That, and the fact that her mother is an Elf. An epic adventure that begins after the events of The Hobbit and continues on into the Lord of the Rings. Rated M for Violence and Mature Themes.
1. Prologue

In the Company of Rangers  
A tale of Rangers, Elves, Wizards, and a lone Hobbit.

Welcome to my first ever Lord of the Rings based Fan-Fiction.  
This work is actually a collaboration with my boyfriend, who is a huge fan of the fantasy world created by J.R.R Tolkien.  
This story is set to start between the events of the Hobbit and will continue on into the Lord of the Rings.

* * *

Warning: This is an AU based around a group of Original Characters. There will be many changes later that will effect the future of the original story.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing from the original Book Series or Movie Franchise. The only thing in this story that I own are the Original Characters and their back-stories, save those that belong to my boyfriend; Bladerunner89.

* * *

Walking along the winding roads of the countryside a small group of young men and women smiled under the mid-summer sun, laughing as they carried baskets that had the smell of warm baked goods and sweet jams. Passing by a large hill, made mostly of stone, they picked up the pace until they came to the other side, where a large door was embedded into the rock. Stopping in front of the home, larger than any other in the area, they knocked on the door and politely awaited an answer. No strangers to this quiet villa the group listened carefully as a voice came filtering through the door, asking them to wait there a moment.

They did not have long to wait for the door quickly opened to reveal a tall young woman, about four feet and six inches, with delicate features and a lithe body. Slender and paler than the others she was a pretty little thing with light green eyes and strawberry blonde hair. Unlike the others her hair was straight from the roots and eventually began to curl as it neared her elongated ears, going down to her shoulders before stopping.

"Guin, you said that you'd be ready afore noon, it's nearly lunch; what's kept you?" Flushing a little in embarrassment at having made her friends wait she smiled as she opened the door further and allowed them all inside. Stepping down the gradually descending stairs they stood together easily in the house that seemed far too large, used to visiting Guin and her family over the years.

"Sorry to have kept you, Da needed my help sorting through some herbs. I shouldn't be more than a moment getting ready." Shrugging or smiling the group waved her on and said they would wait for her at the entrance. Wouldn't want to bother her hard working parents after all.

Moving gracefully throughout the house, at a quick pace but without running, she entered the kitchen and pulled out the basket she had made up earlier. Turning down the long hall she walked straight to the last room in the house and entered. Sitting at the work table, glasses sitting off of his nose slightly, was her father. A short, stocky, man with auburn curls tight against his head and large feet resting against the stool he was sitting on.

"My friends have come to fetch me for the lunch we planned today. I do not wish to keep them waiting any longer, but if you still need my help..." Chuckling at her the man, shorter by at least half a foot, turned to look back at his only daughter, his brown eyes filled with mirth. Waving her on, letting her go free to do what she wanted, he turned back to his work. Though he was a man of few words and could be a little awkward in large groups he was a jovial and generous man who seemed to have endless patience.

Leaving her father to his important work, she padded down the hall a ways and knocked on the room to her mother's study. Both her mother and her father were known in these parts as great healers and people would often come from other parts of the Shire to speak with them about their medicines and herbs. A melodic voice, smooth and low in tone, called out to her from beyond the door, calling her inside. Peeking her head into the room she stood in the doorway, staring up at the beautiful woman who was her mother.

Sitting amidst books and scrolls, with many plants either drying overhead or growing in small pots on the windowsill, was a woman of around six feet tall. A stranger to the Shire her skin was porcelain, her hair straight, stopping just after her hips, with delicate, ethereal, features and soft blue eyes.

"_What is it Meylanna_?" Blushing in delight, she always loved the sound of her mother's maiden tongue, she scuffed her foot across the floor as she spoke.

"_My friends have come to take me out to Lunch with them. We planned it yester e'en. We will be going down to the river for a picnic, I promise I shall return before the sun sets._" From where she sat at her desk the woman gave her a wonderful smile as she rose from her seat and strode over to the small young woman.

"_Have fun with your friends dear one, but pray hurry. Or they might just leave without you._" For Hobbits the small group of young men and women were known by many for hurrying everywhere. But that was probably influenced by the young Took standing before her. Squirming in place, wanting to get going, she heard her mother let out a light laugh in amusement before she leaned down and lay a kiss upon her forehead before motioning toward the door.

"_Thank you Mother._" Skipping from the room she set the basket down beside her friends and took her day cloak from the hook before donning it.

"Finally, are you ready to go Guin?" Taking up her basket she nodded at them, glad to be on her way. Going out into the sunshine she took a deep breath and marvelled again at the beauty of the Shire.


	2. Shire Born

In the Company of Rangers  
A tale of Rangers, Elves, Wizards, and a lone Hobbit.

Welcome to my first ever Lord of the Rings based Fan-Fiction.  
This work is actually a collaboration with my boyfriend, who is a huge fan of the fantasy world created by J.R.R Tolkien.  
This story is set to start between the events of the Hobbit and will continue on into the Lord of the Rings.

* * *

Warning: This is an AU based around a group of Original Characters. There will be many changes later that will effect the future of the original story.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing from the original Book Series or Movie Franchise. The only thing in this story that I own are the Original Characters and their back-stories, save those that belong to my boyfriend; Bladerunner89.

* * *

Chapter 1: Shire Born

Walking the long dirt road, the ground beneath their feet warm from the seemingly endless days of sunshine, the small group of Hobbits gossiped amongst themselves about the Mid-Summer festival that would be coming soon. Passing by other homes on the way to the small river that bordered the Bucklands they waved and smiled at the many greetings from their neighbors.

"Look Dora, cornflowers! We should make ourselves some crowns." Stopping by the side of the road Guin glanced back at the two other young women. Though both of them were her good friends she had only known Dora for a few years, while she had known Rowan her whole life. The shorter and more stout of the two was Dora Brandybuck, a blonde young woman who was a little slower in some things than the others but had a heart of gold. Beside her, picking the flowers carefully so that they could make little crowns from the pink and blue wildflowers, was the slender Rowan Pott. Her dark hair, dark eyes, and a slightly playful gleam in her eye always made Guin wonder if she was related to the Took family in some distant way.

"I'll help you." The blonde seemed to be looking between Rowan and the flowers somewhat hesitantly. Although she had been taught how to make them Dora knew that she would never be very good with delicate work. Instead Guin knelt beside the brunette and began working on a second crown in her stead while the men stood to the side of the road, watching them as they talked about different work around the Shire.

Finishing the little crown she stood and placed it on Dora's head gently, adjusting her hair so that her tight curls would ensure moving her head wouldn't jostle it loose. Grinning down at the smaller woman she was happy to see a beaming face in reply to the small gift. It still amused her to see that out of everyone in the group, she was the tallest.

"You sure you don't want one?" The young half-elf shook her head in reply and touched the leather headband holding back her hair, a green gemstone embedded in the center glinting in the sunlight.

"That's alright, I've got this." The headband itself was years old at this point, and might need a new leather strip soon, but it was something Guindolyn had received from her mother for her birthday when she was fifteen. It was one of her most precious possessions.

"Now if you ladies are done lollygagging, may we go? The food's going to get cold." Lotho Goodchild was the talented son of the local baker and had an appreciation for food, more so than most Hobbits. He was slightly heavier than the rest of them but that didn't seem to slow him down in the least. With a giggle Guin grabbed the girls' hands and started to run, pulling them along behind her. Glancing back at them she was amused to see Rowan grinning and Dora looking startled. Letting go of their hands she stood at the side of the road and looked back at the boys; who were now standing around like deer spotted by a hunter. Turning around and putting one hand on her hip Rowan yelled back at them.

"Well, I thought you wanted to hurry. We're going to leave you behind if you don't start walking." Lifting her hand to her face Guin smirked into it as Dora flounced down the road. She couldn't help but laugh at the disgruntled look on the boys faces.

She thought she caught a comment from Robin, the older of her two Took cousins, something about silly women. So she decided to turn back and raise a slender eyebrow at the man. Summer was a time to be silly and she fully believed in having fun in the sunshine while it lasted.

"I heard that Robin Took, don't think I didn't." Turning a little red in the face Robin looked down at the ground sheepishly for a moment while the other two nudged him and laughed.

"You know his mouth works faster than his mind sometimes, Guin." Looking down at their shortest, and youngest, group member she smiled. Hugo was the name of her younger cousin; he was a testament to the strangeness of the famed adventuring Took blood. Rather than being interested in clan genealogies, like most sensible Hobbits, he was far more interested in the dead languages in dusty old tomes and on maps. Guin once asked if he would ever want to leave on an adventure, but Hugo always said he wasn't interested. He preferred the Shire's local history, despite how little there was of it, and stories about times long past that were stored within dusty tomes at the Great Smials. Maybe in a few years he would finally desire an adventure of his own. But for now he was a very shy and quiet young man, except in the presence of his friends of course.

"Very true. But don't worry, I already forgive him. Besides; this is a time to be having fun and acting silly." Walking backwards along the road, so that she could talk with Hugo and Robin, she didn't notice when Dora and Rowan stopped ahead of her and bumped into the short blonde before turning around.

"Well, what are all of you doing on this fine day?" Easily seeing the older woman over her friends' heads she gave a polite nod as the woman looked them over. Hilda Bunce was a lovely old Hobbit who loved inviting the young group inside for a spot of tea. However, she could also be very hard to escape if she started talking about the 'good old days,' something none of them wanted to suffer through at the moment.

"We were heading down to the river for a picnic." Inwardly Guin sighed at Dora's overly open nature and inability to keep their plans to herself. To make the situation go faster Guin looked back at the boys and made a few hand gestures; trying to motion for them to continue walking with the baskets.

"Well isn't that just lovely. I remember going down to the river when I was your age and sitting by the water all day. Back when I was a young lady I used to turn heads, I did, whenever I'd come skipping back with my arms full of flowers. There would always be..." Tucking her elbow in she gently nudged Rowan. The brunette glanced back at her and frowned for a moment, before she noticed the boys sneaking off down the road.

"Why don't you all come in for tea and I will tell you the rest of the story." Frowning a little herself, Guin tilted her head toward Rowan, reluctant to turn down the elderly woman. Luckily for them Dora was a very sincere young woman that they could rely on in situations like this.

"Oh my, I'm afraid we can't. We've been planning this little get-together for some time now. I'm afraid that if we do not hurry we won't be able to find a nice place in the shade to sit before the sun begins to set. But I am certain that we can visit on another day and listen to your stories." With her polite smile and gentle voice Dora was the perfect person to handle the older woman without giving offense.

"Then don't let me stop you. You go have your fun dears. I shall see you all on another day." Going back to her garden, just inside a little picket fence, the woman peered at her flowers as she continued to prune them.  
Following the road they soon came upon the boys, who were waiting just around a bend.

"With all of these delays we should have planned for breakfast. That way we would be in time for lunch." Looking up at the sky with a smirk playing at the corner of her mouth Guin shook her head at her wise-cracking cousin.

It didn't take long after they'd passed the last of the houses that the smell of sweet apples filled their noses and the calm rumbling of the tributary came to their ears. Following one of the beaten paths just off the main road they passed by some trees and bushes, their feet padding silently on the bent grass. Near the the end of the river, the area that became one with the Brandywine, they found a nice shaded spot under a solitary apple tree and set out their blankets. Finally settled down it didn't take long for the dishes to be passed around laden with fresh breads, crackers, and cheeses. Along with them came jars of jam, a pot of cream, and a whole stick of butter.

"Rowan, you should try this new cheese my father brought home the other day. It is quite mild." Taking the small sliver of white cheese the brunette popped it into her mouth and made a delighted sound. It was light and creamy, yet had a slight smokiness to it. Seeing the curious looks on her friends' faces the blonde woman smiled and cut more slivers, passing them around so that everyone might also have a taste.

"This is quite good, do you know who your father bought it from?" As Lotho and Dora began talking about where he might have procured it, or from whom, Hugo munched on a scone and Robin uncorked a bottle of honeyed mint tea.  
She knew it was honey mint tea even before she could could smell it. The drink had always been a favorite of her cousin's family. Grabbing the cups she stood and helped Robin to fill them before handing them out to her friends with a smile.

"All done Guin?" Sipping on her mint tea, her legs tucked beneath her, she gave a simple head tilt toward Rowan in response. While Hobbits were well known for their ability to enjoy a good feast Guin often found she could not eat as much as those in her family. However, since her mother was the same way, she didn't worry about it too much.

"This aged cheddar would go nicely with a ripe, tart, apple." Sighing over his cheese, making the others laugh at him, Lotho looked so forlorn that it made Guin snort. An un-ladylike gesture but in the company of her friends she didn't think it would matter. Glancing up at the tree giving them shade she slowly smiled as she stood and walked toward it. Putting her hand on the trunk she judged whether or not the branches could hold her before reaching up to find a good grasp on the tree and hauling herself up carefully.

"Guin! What are you doing?" Partway up the trunk she looked down at Hugo, who had come running up behind her in a panic. Turning back to the trunk, in case she lost her grip, she spoke down at the teen as she continued to climb.

"I can't leave poor Lotho's wish unfulfilled now can I?" Climbing the rest of the way up the trunk she hopped up on the first branch and began scaling the tree even faster than before, her movements graceful and precise. Down on the ground her friends had all stood and come closer to the tree, fidgeting with worry. All except for Robin. He had always been envious of her ability to climb any height without fear.

Getting to a place where she could safely sit and pick apples she tucked herself into the crook of a branch and grabbed a couple from above her. Holding them in her arms she grinned triumphantly down at her friends as she waved a hand at them.

"Use one of the cloaks to catch them and I'll let them loose. That way I only need to climb the tree once." Unlike the other two young women Guin hated skirts, as they got caught on everything and anything when searching for herbs in the forest. So, instead, she wore breeches; they were far more practical and far more comfortable. Although she did wear the proper smock and the outer corset of a refined young lady. Her mother made sure of that.

Once the men had a little hammock to catch the apples she began dropping them one by one until they had about two each. Grabbing one as she sat on the branch she bit into it and swung her legs happily, watching the group as they washed the apples in the shallow river before cutting them up to eat. From her vantage point in the tree she could see for quite a distance and marvelled at the beauty and peace of the Shire. It was hard to believe that outside of the Shire there were such dangerous creatures like Orcs and Goblins. Most of her Hobbit kin believed such bogeymen to be old stories invented to scare children, but her mother said they were all true. Lost in thought she almost missed the yell of her friends from beneath her.

"Guin, we have the apples now. So please come down? You are going to give Rowan fits." Surprised she looked down at the brunette and saw that she was shaking and looked quite pale. It had been some time since she'd climbed anything in front of her friends and she had forgotten the woman's crippling fear of heights. Even watching Guin climb to a high place had a tendency to make the normally spunky young woman turn quiet and pale.

"I will be right down." Chiding herself for scaring them she dropped from branch to branch, carefully judging her next leap. To the others it looked terrifying, albeit graceful, as if she were flowing through the tree rather than jumping down it.

Finally on the ground she gave Rowan a gentle hug and apologized for scaring her. Sitting the girl down she went into her own basket and pulled out a bottle of honeyed cider that her mother had helped her to make. Pouring a cup of the drink she handed it to the other woman and encouraged her to drink it to stop her shaking.

"It always makes my heart pound when you do that." Stated Lotho exasperatedly.

"I don't know how you can even think to climb trees Guin." Hugo, normally quiet, spoke up almost at the same time as Lotho and they looked at each other. One frowning and the other grinning playfully.

"I think it must be her Elven blood. I doubt Soriel Took is afraid of heights, being tall as she is." The strawberry blonde had to agree with that. Her mother climbed trees in the forest all the time in search of medicinal plants and she never even batted an eyelash. Guin's father, on the other hand, had to learn to stop being afraid of even simple stairs when he first fell in love with Soriel. Their home was a lot larger than most in the Shire so stairs and ladders had been built inside for Milo. That way he could reach the top of the shelves. Though most of the taller furniture was in her mother's study.

"Mother isn't afraid of much. But she said she's been alive for a very long time and has seen many things." For a time the group settled back onto the blankets they had spread over the ground and continued to sip at their cold tea in silence. Though the silence itself was comfortable and the group at ease in each other's presence, it soon became apparent that Robin was itching to do something. Hugo watched his brother carefully, a resigned sigh falling from his lips as he closed the book he had been reading.

"I know you have some activity planned, you were acting all mysterious this morning. Just spit it out already." Laughing, his brother certainly knew him well indeed, the older of the Tooks reached into a basket and rummaged around until he pulled out a bunch of flying discs. Made out of light wood, usually willow, the discs were smooth, flat, round, and had a large hole in the center. This made them easy to throw long distances and the game had become really popular in the last decade or so. Each pair was painted a different colour to make scoring easier and teams would take turns trying to either land the disc on a post or getting the disc as close to the target as possible.

"Oh~ What a wonderful idea. We could even make a betting game out of it." Rowan gave a small mischievous grin as she placed her empty tea cup into one of the baskets. All heads turned toward her and she smiled as she stood up and dusted herself off. Guin was glad to see that the colour had returned to her face and she was back to her old self.

"That is a great idea! But what do we bet?" Guin asked as she started putting the dishes away. Even if the discs were light they could accidentally knock over their lovely dish-ware, and she did not want to be scolded by her mother for chipping or breaking dishes.

"How about this; the one who loses has to carry the winner's basket back home. We can go best of three rounds to be fair." Jumping on the idea Robin set the bet and everyone quickly agreed to the terms, excited about the outcome of the game.

Guin slowly began to grin. Although Hobbits were known for their throwing ability she knew she had an advantage when it came to sight and her other senses. She was accurate and even deadly with thrown objects and, although she was not as strong as her cousin, could throw with almost exact precision. She'd spent many hours practicing in the woods while gathering herbs with her mother and had once almost beaned Old man Tom in the head when he'd come out of the woods suddenly nearby.

"Who wants to go first?" Eventually they sorted it out and Guin forgot all about the strange old man in the forest that sometimes came to talk with her mother about herbs.

Taking the blue set of rings she waited beside Rowan as Lotho took the first turn. After that was Dora, then Hugo, then Robin, Rowan, and finally herself. They played two games this way, with Rowan winning the first round and Dora winning the second. Each game consisted of three rounds, also called sets, and whoever got closest of all three rounds on the game.

Finally at the last game Guin was tied with Rowan for first, with Hugo being in last place. Carefully he focused on her target and judged the distance with her eyes. Behind her she could hear the others cheering her on quietly as she tried to concentrate. Later in life she would blame her heightened senses and focus for the incident that made her lose control of the disc. Right before her throw, from somewhere off to her left, a bird suddenly shot out of a bush screeching in alarm. Surprised Guin turned her head to look, which put her slightly off balance. Letting go of the disc she quickly turned back just in time to see it fly over the river and past the far bank.

"Well then. That was certainly unusual..." Muttered Dora as they glanced at each other. Pouting the young half-elf put her hands on her hips as she eyed the river carefully. The place they chose for their little picnic was near a very shallow area of the river, a Tributary where a smaller river met the Brandywine. The had crossed the river over a bridge and sat between the two rivers. The river to her right was far smaller than the Brandywine, though she was unsure what the river was called.

"Guin, I don't really like that look in your eyes..." Coming out of her thoughts she gave Hugo a small smile.

"Probably because I've decided to go get the ring back." Sighing the youngest Hobbit present shook his head at her.

"You really aren't scared of anything are you?" Grinning she turned away from her cousin and informed the rest of her friends of her plan to cross the river. This time it was Lotho who looked like he might have a fit.

"Y-you're going to c-cross the River?" A big, calm, and jolly fellow Lotho was usually in good humor, even if the joke was at his expense. But he barely liked crossing bridges, let alone standing beside a river. The very thought that he might drown was enough to send him running for the hills.

"I can't say I like this Guin. We can always have a new ring made, it's no trouble. Besides, it wasn't really your fault. Let it go." Even with those words of reassurance Guin shook her head and turned toward the river. As much as she hated to admit it Guindolyn had a stubborn streak that could rival a bull.

"I'll be careful, the river is wide but not very deep. There' is very little chance I'll get my shirt wet, let alone drown." Rowan put her hand on Guin's arm, looking worried. She didn't say anything as Guin shook her head and walked into the shallow water.

"Just wait here, it's just past the far bank. I'll be right back." Crossing the river slowly, to make sure she didn't slip on the smooth stones beneath her, the young woman shivered at the pleasant feeling of cold water across her bare feet. Just as she'd guessed earlier the water barely came up to her hips at the deepest and covered her feet most of the way. When she made it to the far bank she hopped out of the water and waved at her friends, to make sure they could see she was fine.

Climbing down the far bank, which ended up being a slope that ended at a road, she searched the bushes nearby for the small blue disc. When she finally had it in her hands she was about to turn around and climb back up the slope when the sound of hooves met her ears. Looking in both directions she realized that the sound was getting louder from her left. Waiting near the bushes, curious at who could be coming along the road just outside of the Shire she was stunned to silence as a procession of elves began riding past on beautiful white horses.

At first the elves didn't seem to notice her, other than a glance here or there. But after a few moments the entire procession had stopped and those nearby were staring at her, their eyes old and wise. Blushing slightly she felt as if they were as fascinated by her as she was of them. Whispers met her ears, though she couldn't make out what they were saying.

It didn't take long for a young man on a horse to come riding forward, a circlet on his head and weapons at his side. Guin took a step back when he came forward, almost frightened by the elves unearthly beauty.

_"Child, from where do you hail?"_ The question, spoken in Elvish, was polite yet sounded somehow concerned. Knowing that she was a tween, and in Elvish years still considered a child, she only smiled gently as she gave the man a curtsy.

_"My home is in the Shire, just across the Brandywine river."_ Answering in the same language Guin wondered if these people might have known her mother. From somewhere down the line a woman had come to join the young man and spoke in a hushed voice to the man.

_"There are no Elves in the Shire."_ Frowning slightly Guindolyn cleared her throat as politely as she could to catch their attention, though having those eyes turn to her again made her shiver slightly.

_"But there is. My mother is an Elf."_ Surprise was a funny expression for an Elf to have, though she had seen it on her mother before.

_"May we meet with her?"_ Guin smiled and nodded. The woman held out her arm and for a moment Guin had no clue what she wanted. But as she took the woman's arm she was pulled up onto the horse to sit in front. Her heart pounded in her chest as she pointed out where the road should connect to the Shire. This had certainly been an exciting day.

* * *

Well the first chapter is now finished. I apologize for the wait but my Editors both decided to quit on me. I know this first chapter is going to be a little boring, and the second might be as well, but hang in there. It becomes a lot more interesting as the story progresses.  
Thank you all for your continued interest.


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